Forbes | October 25, 2021 | Lt Gen (Ret.) Dave Deptula |
The Air Force has repeatedly tried to get Congress to allow it to retire its old aircraft and reduce its excess infrastructure to free up funds inside its own budget allocation to invest in modern capabilities, all to no avail. Now it is time for plan B. Without Congressional approval to retire its old aircraft, or to close excess infrastructure, and without any significant increase in its budget topline on the horizon, it is now time to redistribute the assets that DOD does possess to the services that are in the worst shape and who are the most relevant to the national defense strategy. This is the essence of “jointness”—ensuring that the right forces are available at the right places at the right times. A strong Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Space Force and Air Force are all required, but that balance no longer exists with both the Space Force and the Air Force rated as weak due to over 30 years of sitting at the bottom of the DOD’s service department funding allocations.